Air Duct Cleaning - Worth It?

IT'S NOT A WASTE OF MONEY. I have terrible allergies, and I have my ducts cleaned every couple of years. I should probably have it done more often, but you know how these things go. You will be shocked by what comes out of them! Not only is it important for allergies, but not cleaning them regularly can also be a fire hazard. Good luck.

When we moved into our 1st house (it was over 20 yrs old when we bought it), one of the first things we did was have the air ducts washed out. You would not believe the size of the pile of actual dirt that was pulled out (and Lego pieces and socks!). If your house is on the new side, or if you don't open the windows that often, it might not be worth it. Our current house is only 3 years old and it's too new to have dirty air ducts yet.

The ducts get filthy and blow allegens all through the house. Get them done and then buy an Alen air purifier. They are the best on the market, and not the priciest. I got one for my office for under $400. The best investment on air quality ever. I have a nice office in a smelly old building. With the purifier, you would never knowit until you go into the storage room.

Are you having them vacuumed out or actually cleaned? I used IAQ for ours.....not cheap but they actually CLEAN from the vent all the way to the handler in your attic. We have 13 vents and two handlers and it was $1000 and YES it was worth every penny. We had mold in our ducts and he was able to get it all and put a mold resistant solution through the ducts. He also advised us to change out the fan in the attic so the condensation would dry up; standard fans don't stay on as long as needed. I can not say enough good about this company, their work, and the owner David. SUPERB service. If the company coming out is a carpet cleaning company DON'T DO IT....but definitely look in to doing it right. I have seen marked improvement in my daughters health, which is why we did it, but surprisingly, my husband must have been having issues with something in our air because since we did it he has had NO respiratory issues as he was before......

http://www.iaq-solutions.com/
He usually focuses on commercial but has done ours and a friend of mine.....might not hurt to tell him K., a previous customer referred you.

My doctor highly recommends it (it's still on my todo list). I have severe allergies and the most important thing is a HEPA air filter. You should get one for the main living area and his bedroom. We find that if you turn it on low at night time (and up during the day) that it makes a really nice white noise machine. My doctor says that my two sons have the clearest lungs she's ever heard in the DFW area. We also have no curtains in the house nor carpet. Wall to wall carpet is actually illegal in some countries because it is an absolute magnet for allergens and toxins.

If it's not realistic for you, then you should at least not have them in his bedroom. And, everything in his bedroom should be washable (i.e., stuffed animals, etc.) Also, make sure that you are using all non-toxic cleaning products Many folks with severe allergies also have chemical sensitivities - air fresheners, bounce dryer sheets, etc. are some of the worst offenders. And, given that you are cleaning the carpets, you should make sure that the cleaner is non-toxic or you could actually be çompounding the problem. Unfortunately, unless you made sure that new mattress was made *without* flame retardent, it is off gassing some pretty toxic stuff:
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Flame/Children-Flame-Ret...

You need a note or Rx from a doctor to have a mattress made without flame retardant.

All the things I mention are of much higher consideration than having the air ducts cleaned and it's not likely useful to do that until you've tackled all these other issues.

Another very important thing to consider since his allergies seem to have started more recently is the air quality of his school. Many, many schools are moldy (even new buildings due to poor construction since schools are built on the tightest of budgets). And, mold exposure can trigger and mimic allergic reactions. Also, mold exposure can cause systemic fungal infections and depending upon the type of mold, the toxins can severely impact one's health.

While I might seem to be over-reacting, I and my sons are only now healthy after having dealt with *all* of these issues.

Be well,
M. B.

I would have it done. My brother has a carpet cleaning in Seattle and he does this but he came to Tx to train for it. They told them that there are mold spores every where in Tx. I have not had it done but I get a flyer from a carpet company that charges only about $7 a vent. In La I had a electrastatic plates installed on our A/C but I do not know if they can be installed after the unit has been there. We built the house. Just hose them off and I did not get as much dust as we get here. I think the wind has a lot to do with it too. Also I have allergies and was told to take the child out of the home and use formaldhyde on window sills. But the stuff could have a reaction from that until it dries. I got on Zertec in the beginning here and since got too expensive. They say if you are allergic in Texas it will be worse. I found Seattle was worse and I had a ton of trouble in Louisana for 6 months then it quit. As a child they say they outgrow it. Mine came working around chemicals in a beauty industry. G. W

I HIGHLY recommend Collin Creek Duct Cleaning. They are very professional -- at least give them a call and they can answer HONESTLY any questions you might have. Frank Engels is the owner and the number is ###-###-#### you can also check out their website at www.collincreekservices.com
Good Luck
E. Herman
Cornerstone Chem-Dry
____@____.com

Don't forget to cover that new mattress with an allergen-barrier mattress cover. If you can let it sit outside in the sun, it will help get the toxic chemicals to out-gas faster. If it stinks, whatever is making that smell is bad for you as a general rule of thumb.

Getting rid of carpets and curtains needs to be high on your list of projects. You already took down the curtains, just don't put them back for a month. If you have a room with hard floors (wood or laminate in the dining room maybe?) you could have your son "camp out" in there for a week on a mattress to see how big a difference the carpet makes. My pediatrician suggested moving my son's crib into the kitchen if that was the only place in the house with hard floors to do this experiment after he'd been sick about 9 months with various respiratory crud. Fortunately, we put laminate in the bedrooms a few years ago for my middle son's allergies, so all I had to do was put the boys together. The baby quit coughing the first night. The allergist rolled his eyes, but it really made a difference.

I've had our air ducts cleaned every 4 or 5 years. Some say it doesn't matter, but it makes me feel better.

Good luck,
S.

.

If you are wondering...go ahead with the appt....WATCH for yourself what comes out! If you had it done eight yrs ago, it may not be that bad.... especially if you keep you house THAT clean.
If you chose to not go through with it... you can try this. Take all your air return vent off (I would suggest doing one at a time.) and use your vacuum hose on all sides of the duct. Then before you replace the register, tape a dryer sheet on the inside of it...even if it is an allergy type. I helps to filter more than just replacing the air filter every three months. DON"T FORGET the cold air return !!! Hope this helps!

This is something that I have been wanting to do so I am glad there are moms out there with some advice and different companies they have used. I think you are thinking correctly on the things that you should be doing around the house. Myself and my children have started taking a daily dose of local honey (it's from Roanoke) that does help reduce allergy issues. You should google this and read up on it. I buy mine from a health food store and am sure you could find some yourself. Honey contains bits and pieces of pollen and honey, and works as an immune system booster. Another thing to think about are the cleaning products you are using. They contain toxic chemicals (bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde,etc.....research MSDS sheets and www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm and www.health-report.co.uk/toxic_household_chemicals.htm) These chemicals obviously can cause cancer but are causes of allergies as well.
Good Luck!!

Thanks,
H. Meece
www.WorkAtHomeUnited.com/H.
###-###-####

I see that you are already planning on doing this, but thought I would share are story any way. When my dd turned 2 we moved into our current home that was built in 1980 and is across from a big empty filled that has slowly been neglected. 2 or 3 mo after moving in our kids started to get sick. A couple of walking pneumonia's, but dd was going to the dr every few weeks w/sinus infections and ds had ear infections a little less often. Of course the rest of dh and I got sick to sometimes. finally in early spring the dr suggested having the air ducts cleaned and when we did the cleaners told us there was mold growing in the furnace. Very expensive to have cleaned! and it was the original unit, so we got a new one. She is doing MUCH better. We also had her tonsils taken out and he had tubes put in (now gone). It has not been as bad.
It is certainly, a good idea, although I don't know how often it should be done.

If you want to help the most get rid of the carpet and curtians. They hold more dust and allergens then anything. Since we replaced our carpet with a laminant I am amazed at how much dust and dirt collects during the day.

A. check out
www.myvollara.com/garrett
look at Fresh Air surround
best of luck be blessed
Happy Easter
J. G

My son has allergies too and gets asthma. We bought for his room an air purifier called Alen. It is on right before he goes to bed and is on all night. Or if his friends come over they get to playing and particles start to come up from the chair, bedding etc. It has helped tremondously. We got him on some herbal vitamins and minerals and probiotics for his body to be strong and withstand some of the allergies that used to cause him to have asthma. My friend eats raw honey that is local and not from the store it helps with people with allergies, the bees get the local pollen on them and you do the hive thing, don't know exactly how they do it. but anyway eating the local pollen helps with allergies. hope this helps.

oh yeah, also, he has to wash his hair everyday to wash out the pollen.

I don't know if it's a waste of money or not. I'm thinking of doing the same thing. BUT I do know that we took some A/C filters(the big square ones 2x2x??) and cut them down to fit the air intake vent. That's helped alot too.

Your ducts should not have to be cleaned if you had it done 8 yrs ago and you sound like a clean-freak :) I would highly recommend removing carpet and replacing with tile or wood. Carpet was a huge allergy issue in my house (i have dogs and cats). Keep your air filter changed regularly (monthly). Use a room hepa filter and change the filter regularly. (I am a home inspector in Frisco/Little Elm for 12 yrs)... just saying.
D.
20/20 Home Inspections